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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Looks like RIchard's shoulder only makes contact with Booth's head. Sickening hit, Richards should sit a long time for that one.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

...shoulder to the head? Blind side? Without the puck?

...why does this not surprise me? Sickening. Very borderline...but, still sickening.

Not in the "spirit" of the sport. Not at all.

I saw that last night...really scary. I hope Booth is ok.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

The captain of the goons making an absolutely goon move? Shocking

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mechaphil

As much as I loved the hits Scott Stevens belted players with until he retired, I really shouldn't weigh in on this one. It was somewhat like a stevens hit in the sense of the impact, however, Scotty would nail you front on. This was somewhat coming from the side. Although I'm kind of on the fence on this hit, I really hope Booth is going to be ok. Same with Johnny Toews, hope he is able to bounce back!

We all love the bone jarring hits (IE Campbell on Umberger) but you never want to see a players career ended or seriously injured from them. It's these guys we pay to see, regardless of their skill level.

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

Richards is a piece of crap.

Booth was released from the hospital, and Richards isn't getting a suspension. I got news of both from Kukla's Korner.

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mechaphil

Yet another case of missing the forest for the trees. Does the league really want to see players, especially skill players that generate ticket revenue, be out for months (whole seasons) from hits to the head? Apparently the NHL would rather make money off excitement from physical play (at the players' expense) over the excitement from skill and scoring.

There will never be enough respect among the players themselves, so it's up to the league to draw the line. It shouldn't be about whether it he left his feet, the player ducked or turned, or the fine line between head and shoulder. It should be about whether the player had a fair chance to protect himself. Any hits from the side or behind, chest up (or knee down), where the player was defenseless should just be assumed as an intent to injure. That's simple enough, and will protect players from serious injury. Players can still make a hit and take a player off the puck or out of the play, but if they insist on trying to take a player "out", they should be fined and suspended ten games minimum, or longer depending on the length of injury time.

QFT, 1980.

There's nothing wrong with bone-jarring hits, but all this head-checking this season is absolutely insane.

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mechaphil

Absolutely, that was a headshot, pure and simple. If the league wants to get into the business of policing intent, it can stop handing our minors for accidental high sticks when players "don't mean to" rape someone in the face with their blade.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Holy crow that looked like it hurt... Its a close call but Damn Richards should get some kinda suspension... I mean... damn... course this is one of those things that if you bring it up to a Flyers fan they are gonna say that it was legal and everything and people are over reacting to it blah blah blah...

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LETS GO BUFFALO!

Anyone here remember the game the way it was in the 80's? End to end rushes, not too many open ice or bone jarring hits? More of a free wheelin game?

The game was what it was because of the likes of Semenko, Probert, McSorreley N co. If you went after a teams star, you'd pay the price. I'm beating a dead horse here, but if the league wants to make sure the stars can play without fear of having their ass handed to them on a silver platter, let the tuff guys do some policing again. The league is protecting the guys who take the head/cheap shots with a nice little rule called the INSTIGATOR.

Mr. Bettmen and owners, please fuck off with your rule and let these assholes be held accountable for their actions.

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

Also, I was waiting for Downey to attempt a cheapshot last night. I was kind of praying for him to try.

Still can't believe the league lets that piece of trash play after the whole Dean McAmmond thing. He must have skated 30 strides until he belted him. Even in Jr. this punk was just that, a punk.

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

As bad of a headshot that it was. Booth honestly should not have cut across the trolley tracks lookin the other way. He had just made a drop pass and admired it. Thats a no-no. Richards went in for the hit which was not even late. It was just a headshot. A brutal headshot that was suspension worthy. But Booth should also know better than to do what he did. Especially against Philly. They'll take a hit like that all day.

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Driver of the Tyler Ennis Bandwagon, Ridin' shotgun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon, chillin' on the Luke Adam Bandwagon


Eh

That's true. It's hell of lame that he lined up Booth for a kill-shoulder, regardless of where Booth was looking.

The instigator needs to go. Plain and simple. Let tough guys defend their own.

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mechaphil

No suspension; Richards is playing vs Sharks tonight.

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"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

This is the logic that Philly fans are using, but it's just rehashed jargon. "Looking the other way" and "admiring a pass"...it's just plain BS. Booth had just turned his head to the right when he got hit, a full half second to full second after passing. This is not looking the other way, in fact some Philly fans are trying to say it was ok because he had turned forward.

As far as "admiring a pass"...nobody in this league stands with his hand to chin, with a grin on his face watching a pass...nobody. Booth merely dropped a pass and took as much time (.3 seconds maybe) to turn his head back as any player under any circumstance on the ice. This is human nature, and unless a player is purposefully trying a "no look" pass, they will take a tiny moment to see if the pass was on target in order to see where they should skate to next.

I'm more than tired of hearing this type of language, with the above types of recycled slogans, in order to justify injuring players. It's just plain BS. The NHL and players need to decide if they really want to keep playing russian roullette with themselves, because these incidents are becoming way too common. If it's not accounted for by respect from the players themselves, then the it needs to be accounted for by the rules. If the rules do not account for these hits, then the rules need to be changed.

FWIW, Scott Stevens is one of my all time favorite players. I don't ever remember him drilling a head shot from the side or behind. I just got done scouring youtube just to make sure, but every hit I saw and remember was from straight ahead against players that had their head turned away or literally straight down at their skates. And he only hit their head if they were bent down over the puck, because he never jumped up. I'm sure there were some close calls but he was not a dirty player. If he was playing today and he made a dirty hit then he should be suspended like anyone else.

Man, that's real similar to Neill's hit on Drury.

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"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret